§ Mr. Alan Clarkasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what the functions of a field monument warden are; how and by whom they are appointed; what their qualifications are; what their salary is; how many are currently so designated; and what restrictions apply to their powers of entry into ancient monuments in private ownership.
§ Mr. MonroField monument wardens are employed to monitor the condition of scheduled field monuments by visiting them, talking to the owners and occupiers of the sites, and reporting their findings.
Wardens are recruited by the Department of the Environment by open competition. They are part-time employees and they work from their homes. They are required to have a good understanding of field monuments and of agricultural matters. The present salary is a flat rate of £58.54 for a month of 40 working hours.
There are 20 wardens in post. They are required to obtain permission before 79W visiting monuments on private land. Only in exceptional circumstances would they be specifically authorised to enter land under section 9(1) of the Ancient Monuments Act 1931.